00:00Let's go with the widely accepted theory that a massive asteroid hitting our planet
00:05wiped out the dinosaurs.
00:08It does make you wonder why mammals made it though.
00:11One idea is that mammals were better prepared.
00:14Back then, they weren't the most popular creatures on Earth, but they were pretty diverse.
00:19They bred themselves into a huge range of species, and it might have saved them.
00:25Some said mammals survived because they were smaller, so they needed fewer resources.
00:31As they had to constantly hide from dinosaurs, they managed to survive in difficult environments
00:36way before the hit.
00:38But let's say the asteroid never came, and it never damaged the environment the dinosaurs
00:43thrived in.
00:44It's safe to say our fauna would look different today.
00:48Take the mighty titanosaur.
00:50It's considered the biggest land animal to ever exist, some reaching lengths of about
00:55seven standard cars lined up.
00:59It had a neck so long that it would have needed a two-story home just to fit.
01:04It also had a plant-based diet, so it ate from the ground, but from very tall trees
01:09too.
01:10There was nothing much left to eat for, say, the little juramaya, a mammal that lived roughly
01:16at the same time, but was as small as a popsicle stick!
01:21Let's take this thought experiment a bit further and imagine we have a time machine
01:26that could transport today's mammals to the time of the dinosaurs.
01:30Some scientists say they have gotten bigger, so there's a chance they could survive,
01:35right?
01:36They're also much more evolved in terms of their diets and skills.
01:40Others say definitely not, they couldn't survive, mostly because they're too small
01:45to compete with dinosaurs.
01:47An adult T-Rex was just about the size of a bus.
01:51It probably wouldn't waste its time trying to capture food that's human-sized, for
01:56instance.
01:57They'd probably be on the lookout for prey the size of a car, or even bigger, like an
02:01elephant.
02:03And it most likely wouldn't take them long to win the fight.
02:06Sure, a T-Rex might munch on something smaller too, but only if it's really hungry and
02:12has no other alternative.
02:15If we had no choice but to send some mammals back in hopes they could survive, what would
02:21be our best bet?
02:23Some say the chimpanzee could be a good candidate, as these primates build their sleeping nests
02:29higher up in trees.
02:31This might have kept them safe from the carnivore dinosaurs living on land.
02:35There's no real evidence of dinosaurs being able to fly, but we do know there might have
02:41been some reptiles that took to the sky for transportation, like pterosaurs, the flying
02:47lizard.
02:48These ones like to eat fish and smaller animals, but who's to say they wouldn't pick up
02:53a chimpanzee given the opportunity?
02:56Another good candidate might be the hyena.
02:59Today, the spotted hyena is the most common big carnivore in Africa, and it's highly
03:05adaptable.
03:06They can snatch up all sorts of prey by themselves or even in larger units.
03:11They can digest most parts of their prey, including the skin and bones.
03:17These animals aren't picky eaters and they wouldn't mind chewing on parts that other
03:21creatures would gladly skip on.
03:23Not to mention, they'll eat fruits too, if needed.
03:28Hyenas are overall healthy and sturdy animals, with some studies showing they hardly ever
03:33get health problems.
03:35Like any other animal on this planet, the hyenas also have their weaknesses.
03:41We still don't know why these creatures can't be found in Europe anymore, but some
03:46research suggests they found it hard to coexist with humans and wolves.
03:50Also, they're not very adapted to living in forests.
03:56Orcas might have been able to rub elbows with the dinosaurs too.
04:00These creatures also don't have any natural predators, which earned them the nickname
04:04the wolves of the sea.
04:06That's because they go out looking for prey the same way wolves do, in groups.
04:12Orcas may be related to dolphins, but we can hardly call them friendly, as there have been
04:17cases of them sinking ships, on purpose.
04:22They're highly intelligent animals that spend time together and are very organized.
04:27They also do this thing where they often take down more prey than they're prepared
04:32to eat.
04:33It may be because they see this experience as training.
04:37Other theories suggest orcas are so intelligent that they look for food in advance, even though
04:43they're not hungry yet.
04:45It might also be because whenever they want something to munch on, they're looking for
04:50the best quality food there is.
04:53The reason why they might not survive in the dinosaur era, though, is the global temperature.
04:59Back in the Mesozoic era, our planet was seriously hotter, several degrees warmer than it is
05:05today.
05:06Orcas prefer living in colder waters, but you'll find them in all oceans and most seas.
05:14Ostriches are the no-brainer answer.
05:16Look at them!
05:17They're practically dinosaurs!
05:19They even have a long-lost dino cousin that lived in the Cretaceous era, called the Struthiomimus.
05:26Its name translates to, ostrich-like, because of its similar powerful and speedy legs, agility,
05:33and even feathers.
05:35On the downside, they might not be able to take down larger dinosaurs.
05:39The vegetation back in the Mesozoic era would have been different, too.
05:44Conifers used to dominate land, and ostriches are known to be pretty picky eaters, so they
05:49might have had a difficult time finding food back then.
05:54There are plenty of reasons to send felines through that time machine, too.
05:59In the Jurassic period, for example, there were plenty of slow-moving prey to eat and
06:04tons of hiding spots in the thick bushes.
06:08Lions are sneaky animals, have precise vision, and are extremely good at climbing.
06:15Some pack a punch for their size, making them fierce fighters.
06:19Lions are good contenders because of their speed and teamwork.
06:22They might be able to take down some decent-sized dinosaurs, like the Europasaurus, when working
06:28together.
06:30Leopards are really good at climbing trees, so they could snatch prey and enjoy it above
06:35the ground, where they might be safe from bigger predators.
06:39What might be their downfall is, again, the temperature difference.
06:43It was considerably hotter back then.
06:46Today's large mammals aren't equipped to deal with that extreme heat.
06:51Lions might be the kings of the savannah now, but it would be too hot even for them.
06:56If they ever want to grab a spiky-tailed herbivore for lunch, like the Tugiandrosaurus or Stegosaurus,
07:02they might be in for a surprise.
07:05One hit from their extremely powerful tail could cause some serious damage.
07:10Not to mention run-ins with raptors, like the frightening Saurophaganax.
07:16The single most likely animal that might survive being roommates with the dinosaurs is the
07:22platypus.
07:24This quirky Aussie creature is one of those rare egg-laying mammals.
07:29It's a fan of freshwater and as close to a living relic as an animal can be.
07:35Scientists were able to trace its origin back as far as 120 million years ago.
07:41For food, it wields its sensitive beak to catch shrimp and worms underwater.
07:47When it dives, skin flaps cover its eyes and ears, so it becomes blind and deaf.
07:53But it still uses that beak like a high-tech radar.
07:57A grown platypus can even feast on half its body weight in a single night.
08:02Scientists have known for a while it shares many traits with reptiles, like its shoulder
08:07bones or the fact that it lays eggs.
08:11Other creatures that coexisted with the dinosaurs still exist today, just not mammals.
08:17Snakes made their way into our fauna in those prehistoric times too, as well as cockroaches
08:22and bees.
08:24Some species of sharks are even considered to predate the dinosaurs.
08:28And if we look at our entire planetary history, we'll see they survived four out of five
08:33periods of mass extinction.
08:37Horseshoe crabs have the nickname living fossils because their evolution was much slower than
08:42any other animal that we know of.
08:45Not because they're not smart, but simply because they found their perfect form much
08:50sooner.
08:51So they didn't need to make a lot of changes.
08:53They have a very rudimentary immune system, but it seems to work wonders.
08:58No wonder they stayed pretty much the same for over 400 million years!
09:03That's it for today!
09:04So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:09friends!
09:10Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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